sargent



May 26, 1931; F, |=l SARGEN'T 1,806,649

HOOD CATCH Filed Aug. 25, 1927 l 9 nim Wi EFHNK F' EHRBENY'.

BY if: W )0f ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED ls'rairzs PATENT OFFICE FRANK P. SARGENT, OF STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BASSICK COM-S PANY, OF BR-IDCrEI"ORT,l CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT' HOOD CATCH Application filed August 25, 1927. Serial No. 215,291.

The present invention relates to automobile hood'catches, and has for its object to provide a catch for fastening the engine hood to the automobile frame, and which when disengaged from the hood will be automatically positioned out of the closing path of the hood, and also out of contact with the surface of the frame.

Heretofore, hood catches were such that in their disengaged relation they would either swing inwardly and interfere with the closing of the hood, or would swing outwardly and rest upon the surface of the frame, so that not only was considerable annoyance experienced in closing the hood, but very often damage to the structure and finish of the car would result. A` common experience has been that when closing the hood it would be found that after clamping one catch the other one would be caught beneath the hood, necessitating unfastening and raising of the hood to release it. It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide means which will limit the outward swinging of the catch and will yieldingly retain it in such position that it will neither interfere with the closing of the hood or engage the surface of the frame.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide such means in combination with a hood catch of the fulcrum-bumper type, in which a fulcrum-bumper lever cooperates with the pull-down part of the catch to press the hood laterally against the frame to prevent rattling, and in this embodiment I provide means which will automatically position the fulcrum-bumper lever with respect to the frame, so that the whole hood catch structure is retained in a predetermined fixed position when disengaged from the hood.

With the above and other objects in view, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a hood catch according to one embodiment of the invenf tion, the pull-downpart being shown disen- Y gaged from the hood, but the parts being otherwise shown in their operative or hood engaging relation. i

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the hood catch as shown in Fig. 1, and showing the same in engaged relationwith the hood.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the hood catch as shown in Figs. l and 2, and in the disengaged relation in which it is automatically positioned with respect tothe hood and frame.

VFig. 4L is a front elevation of a modied form of catch, embodying the present im-l provements, the same being shown in disengaged relation from the hood, but in the vertically disposed hood-engaging position. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the catch as shown in Fig. 4, showing the same engaged with the hood, and showing in `dotted lines .the disengaged relation in which the same 1s automatically positioned with respect to the hood and frame.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the hood catch, according tothe embodimentsof the invention disclosed therein, comprisesa hold-down part consisting of a tubular barrel 10, to the upper end of which there is secured a hook and handle member 11, andvwithin the barrelthereis arrangeda springy actuated pull-rod 12 extended through the'inwardly flanged and apertured lower end 13 of the barrel. The inner end of the pull-rod is grooved, as atll, and has a washer 15 engaged thereon, between which andthe fianged lower lend 13 of the barrel a coil spring 16 is disposed about the rod. The outer endof the rod 12 ispro-A vided with a head 17l and'. is `pivotally connected to the outer end of the fulcrumbumper lever 18. V-

The fulcrum-bumper lever, as disclosed in the present embodiment,V is formed of sheet metal, its horizontally extending portion bef ing transversely curved and providedV near its outer end with anaperture 19 through which the rod is'engaged, the head 17 at the end of the rod engaging the under surface of the lever and thereby forming a pivotal connectionbetween the pull=d9wn part Qi the catch and the outer end of the lever. The lever 18 is provided at its inner end with an upwardly bent portion 20 upon which the rubber bumper 21 is secured by means of an eyelet rivet 22. At each side of the lever there are provided downwardly extending mounting portions 23 and 24 pivotally mounted between upstanding ears 25 and 26, provided upon the base plate 27, by means ofa transverse pin 28, the base plate adapted to be secured to t-he automobile frame. Upon the rearward edges of the mounting portions 23 and 24 there are provided projecting lug portions 29, which upon outward swinging movement ofv the fulcrum lever abut against rearward edge of the base plate, as shown in Fig. 3, and limit the position of the hood catch, so that it does not engage the surface of the frame. Upon the pin 28 there is coiled a spring 30, having one end engaged with the base plate and the other end pressing against the under forward portion of the fulcrum-bumper lever, and adapted 4to yieldably retain the lever in its outwardly moved position as shown in Fig. 3 when the catch is disengaged from the hood. Fig. 2 shows the clamped position of the catch, in which the hooked portion 11 is engaged with the keeper 31 secured upon the face of the hood 32, the lower end of the hood adapted to abut against an upright flange 33 and to be pressed inwardly against such flange by the lateral pressure of the bumper 21 produced through the pull of the rod 12 upon the fulcrum-bumper lever 18. Fig. 3 shows the disengaged posit-ion of the catch, in which the ulcrum bumper lever is yieldably retained in a position out of the closing path of the hood and out of engagement with the automobile frame, and in which the barrel 10 is retained by gravity in an outwardly swung position through the inclination of the ulcrum-bumper lever.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a modilied form of the invention in which the present improvement is incorporated in a hood catch of dili'erent type from that disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3.

In the embodiment illustrated the barrel 34 is provided at its upper end with an apertured fiange 35 through which the rod 36 is engaged, the rod being provided at its lower end with al washer 37 between which and the flange 35 a coil spring 38 is provided about the rod. Upon the upper end of the rod there is secured a handle portion 39 provided with a transversely disposed aperture 40 adapted to be engaged by a peg-like keeper 41 secured upon the hood. The. lower end of the barrel is provided with downwardly extending ears 42 and 43 pivotally connected to upstanding spaced ears 44 and 45, provided upon a base plate 46, by means of a transverse pin 47. The ears 42 and 43 are provided at their rearward sides with stop lug portions 48 adapted to limit the outward swinging movement of the barrel and to position the same through abutment with the base 46, and upon the pivot pin 47 there is coiled a spring 49 having one end engaged with the base plate 46 and the other end engaged beneath the forward lower edge portion of the barrel, and adapted to yieldably retain the catch in the outwardly swung position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, when the same is disengaged from the hood.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereoii, as deiined in the appended claim.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim andfdesire to secure by Letters Patent In a hood catch, a hold down clamp, a keeper adapted to be engaged by said clamp, a support for said clamp comprising a base and a transverse hinge pin connecting said base and clamp and permitting relative inward and outward movement of said clamp toward and away from the hood, and a spring coiled about said pin bearing upon said clamp and adapted to yieldingly press the same away from the hood in its disengaged relation,

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairiield, and State oi' Connecticut, this 16 day ot August, 1927.

FRANK P. SAR-GENT.

CFI 

